Game-Changing Lockouts and Strikes

The 2011 NFL season is scheduled to begin September 8th. However, with a possible lockout on the horizon, football fans are anxiously consulting their calendars in anticipation of a much more imminent date, March 12.

The collective bargaining agreement that league owners and the National Football League Players Association have had a in place for six years recently expired, and if the parties can’t agree to a new one by March 12, 2011, a lockout goes into effect.

Depending on how long it lasts, the lockout could result in cancelled games , or even threaten the entire season. It’s happened before -- professional sports leagues have experienced labor disputes, and apart from the financial havoc they caus e owners and players, the communities that host teams lose revenue . Worse, if the stoppage lasts long enough, an entire spectator sport can lose its fan base for years.

Click ahead to see the most notable lockouts and strikes in recent sports history.